A highly readable account of the origin and development of linguistic studies. Concentrating on the course of linguistic thought in Europe, Mr. Robins traces a continuous tradition of speculation and teaching on language and linguistics from the Pre-Socratic philosophers in ancient Greece, through Plato, Aristotle, the Stoics, Rome, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance to the present day ... --dust jacket
Includes bibliographical references (pages 233-240) and index
Introduction -- Greece -- Rome -- The Middle Ages -- The Renaissance and after -- The eve of modern times -- Comparative and historical linguistics in the nineteenth century -- Linguistics in the present century